Re: Iris questions
Lynn and Roberta
A friend gave me several Iris some years ago (probable 10 years now)
and that was my first experience with them. I do think they are
beautiful. I took a peek at the URL on the Historic Iris site and they
have some beautiful plants, however I did not realize that the iris
needed any special attention.
Mine are the old fashion type. have been around forever. let me tell
you a couple of things that lead me to think that they are very hardy
needing no special attention. back in the early spring I dug iris at my
husbands grandparents old home place. (this house has been there over
100 years) I failed to get all of them in the ground and thought I
would get back to them later, but didn't. today I happened to notice
them sitting in a large dish pan on the patio and decided to investagate
and sure enough it was the left over iris that I did not get bact to.
some of them had little green shoots coming from the rizone, so I just
took them and trimed the dead leaves and placed them in one of the
flower beds and put some soil over them and watered them . I expect
to be able to set them out in a couple of days and I also expect them to
live.
in the spring I had a large bed of them that needed dividing really
bad, so with my husbands help we divided and replanted iris's
everywhere and most of them bloomed for me in the spring. I was
pleasnatly surprised.
I had left about 6 laying under an oak tree flower bed, on top of the
ground and they rooted and bloomed where they lay.
Now, true , I'm speaking about the old fashion iris and they may be
differant from the hybrids, and what I said may seem untrue and far
fetched, but what I've said is true. that is why I've always believed
the iris is a very hardy plant. I have lots and lots of iris's and I
love them.
I have them planted in the shade and also in full sun and they do well
for me under most conditions. however if they get crowded they don't
flower very well.
Happy Gardening
Donna in NE Mississippi zone 7
